Laura Hansen after presenting Honors research on Sudden Unexpected Infant Death in Arkansas

Author: Laura Hansen | Major: Public Health | Semester: Spring 2025

I am Laura Hansen, and I graduated in May with a bachelor’s in Public Health and minors in Medical Humanities and Social Work. I am currently in the University of Arkansas Graduate School obtaining a Master of Public Health degree, which I will complete in Summer 2026. I plan to then pursue a PhD in public/health policy. This past spring semester, I researched Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) prevention in Arkansas. My mentor for this research was Dr. Bart Hammig, who is a public health professor in the College of Education and Health Professionals in the Health, Human Performance, and Recreation Department. Dr. Hammig was selected as my mentor in this research because of his research in injury prevention and his expertise in epidemiology. Dr. Hammig guided me in my study design, in my communications with health professionals, and in my analysis of my results.

My research focused on the relationship between patients and physicians in Arkansas relating to conversations on SUID. SUID is an umbrella term used to categorize Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), unknown death causes, and accidental suffocation in bed. SUID rate reduction can be achieved by following infant-safe sleeping guidelines, which include crib use, flat and firm mattresses, no blankets, and putting babies on their backs. As many cases of SUID can be prevented through safe sleep practices, physicians often provide these recommendations to patients. In Arkansas, rates of SUID are nearly the highest in the nation, with 173.6 deaths for every 100,000 live births. To get insight into these high rates of a largely preventable tragedy, I wanted to interview healthcare professionals on their observations of the conversations and barriers, as well as record their recommendations for reducing rates.

This research has a direct real-world application as it provides data on healthcare professionals’ experiences that can shape public policy and programs. This information can aid in the application to the CDC’s Sudden Unexpected Infant Death/Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry, which is a 10-year partnership between a state’s health department and the CDC. The partnership has seen great success in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisiana, all states with similar rates to Arkansas. The application for the grant will reopen in 2028, and the results of this research can be supporting evidence for the Arkansas Department of Health in the application. Beyond the application, it provides insight into common barriers that can be addressed through free crib programs and educational demonstrations.

My interest in this topic began in my freshman year Technical Report Writing course. This class, taught by Professor Laura Gray, encouraged us to work in teams to research an issue in our community. My group studied SUID and chose to write a report on the state of infant safety in Arkansas and send it to state representatives with recommendations for policy changes and programs to reduce SUID. This work earned us a Service Learning Award the following year. I decided to continue the research as my Honors thesis, as I felt more could be done to understand why SUID was so prevalent in Arkansas.

My study focused on interviewing healthcare workers, which led to significant challenges due to the busy schedules of this profession. I resulted in pivoting from phone interviews to a survey link, which led to me losing the ability to ask follow-up questions and elaborations, but allowed me to get the number of responses I needed by the deadline. Thankfully, most responses were robust and had many recommendations for policy and programs to help families prevent SUID.

As a graduate student, I plan to continue to advocate for programs to reduce infant mortality in Arkansas. This research can be built upon to further understand patients’ perspectives on infant safety recommendations.